Dishonored: Definitive Edition Review

Dishonored originally hit shelves back in 2012 and when it did it took the gaming world by storm. The stunning and unique art style mixed with the steam-punk theme was done to perfection. The mission space allowing you to move freely around the locations and not keeping you on a linear path was something many games were lacking. The powers that the protagonist Corvo Attano gains all flow so smoothly together, they all work in unison. It is no doubt that Dishonored is a game that will be remembered for a long time and with Dishonored 2 set for release next year it is no surprise the game was re-released in the form of the Definitive Edition for Xbox One and PS4. This includes all DLC (Dunwall City Trials, Knife of Dunwall, The Brigmore Witches) and also a slight graphical upscale.

Personally I had played Dishonored back when it launched in 2012 and the game immediately took up all of my time. The game felt amazing it was like nothing I had played before back then I would have given it a 9/10 or even a 10/10 but whilst the definitive edition has been up-scaled graphically is Dishonored worth purchasing again?

Dishonored tries to tailor to everyone’s play style whether you want to go on a murderous rampage or a rooftop stroll above some unaware guards, and it definitely succeeds in doing so. On my original playthrough back in 2012 I had no worries about being stealthy and just slashed my way through, only to find out there were different endings based on your chaos level (A system that if guards are killed or people then gameplay changes, for example if you are in high chaos more rats and weepers will appear and you will receive the ‘bad’ ending.) I replayed Dishonored many times but I just wasn’t good enough to be a complete ghost. But that’s the thing that Dishonored is amazing for. The replay value.

Gameplay in the definitive edition has not been altered so is still as crisp as ever and still has that re-playability. However, whilst the graphics have been somewhat improved, the game is still running at 30fps, which is not necessarily a problem for Dishonored given it’s unique art style but I don’t think the frame rate is locked tightly to 30fps, as I noticed significant drops after entering a new area on the Xbox One, although this was during the first two missions. The graphical up scaling on the other hand is amazing for looking out across the horizons and your environment, it does make some of the character models seem odd for whatever reason. But despite these pros and cons, I think the deciding factors for whether or not you pick up this game are going to be the DLC, your playthrough on the original version and/or If you have played the game before.

The DLC for Dishonored is truly impressive. Dunwall City Trials is the only one out of the three to not be a story DLC but it does offer different types of challenges. Stealth, Action, Puzzle and Mobility these are all extremely fun and have varying difficulty levels. But it is the Daud DLC that takes the cake.

Daud’s DLC consists of The Knife of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches. In these expansions you play as Daud the assassin who killed the empress at the start of Dishonored and left Corvo (The Protagonist of the main game) to take the blame. Seeing scenes from Dishonored recreated from Daud’s perspective are a stunning experience as this time you are the one at the hilt of the sword that would kill the Empress. Daud gains new powers in both DLC he is also armed with a crossbow on hist wrist and unique corrupt bone charms that like in the main game give you perks but they also give you a disadvantage in another field of play.

So to answer my previous question “Is Dishonored worth purchasing again” I would say that the definitive edition is a must buy for people that have not played the game before, people that missed the DLC or for people that wish to try a different play style. Dishonored is a game that I feel will stand the test of time extremely well given that the gameplay experience is still one of the best three years on from it’s release. On the other hand, if you are a Dishonored fan like myself I’d say why not pick it up again? It’s the same game but graphically improved with the DLC for a good price at £25 but prepare to not be overwhelmed by the graphics or stunned by new gameplay.

All in all in, it was amazing to be back in the world of Dunwall and is a must buy for people who missed any of the content. As much as I’d like to say this game is a 10/10 I’d have to give it an 8/10.

Dishonored Definitive Edition

8

Overall Game Rating

8/10

Pros

Includes all of the amazing DLC.

Gameplay holds up extremely well against games released today.

Cheap considering the amount of content

Cons

Not enough in terms of graphical changes or new content to attract those done with the original.

About Brandon Dean

Brandon has been gaming for over a decade and whilst it’s not as long as others has survived just as many encounters as most. From hiding in a cardboard box to collecting 120 stars. Brandon’s favourite game series is Halo but he enjoys stealth games and RPG’s also. He studies media at A-level and can be typically be found boarding covenant ships.